


they do things differently there

by Tavadriel



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Gen, Or Is It?, Tag Suggestions Welcome, an actual gen story?, not tagging for matoba because i don't know if it is senior or junior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 18:46:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14002284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tavadriel/pseuds/Tavadriel
Summary: With exorcism as an actual profession, why hadn't anyone called in such a professional during Natsume's childhood?





	they do things differently there

Urban schools change faster than rural ones. There is less of the rush to go forward, to seize the new, to abandon the past like outgrown clothes. So confident that forward is always better.

Things are different in the country. There is less rush to change just for change's sake.

So when odd things started happening after the school's newest transfer student, the principal paid attention. How could a child shatter **all** of the windows in their classroom, including the ones he couldn't reach? There were no fireworks or other oddities in the debris. One student, at first, but children are quick to seize on to a new game even faster than candy. 

The principal consulted the school's records. It had been at least nine, almost ten, years since the school's most recent cleansing. Which made it about the right amount of time to schedule one, so he contacted their local exorcist to choose the most auspicious day in the next two weeks. It wasn't a matter of belief, per se, but of tradition. This was what was **done**. The fact that the need arose in a pattern was indication of a need, therefore the need was met.

Hosyu began the night before, a thin sheet of paper covering his face to indicate neutrality as he inspected the building and grounds. That the empty school wasn't empty wasn't a surprise – he had no quarrel with any yokai who sought shelter there overnight, as long as they left during the day, and left no contamination or miasma behind. That the school was **this** full spoke towards the need for his services. How could the local yokai respect the old agreement if the humans didn't keep up their part? Regular cleansing prevented anything of significant power settling in for the long term.

The next day, Hosyu brought his tools and saw to the actual work of cleansing and protection. School still continued for the day, of course. The charms would stay up for at least a week, until their power drained into the building itself. And with children, it was better for them to see what was happening, rather than get to school with the change already in place.

And Hosyu didn't mind children. He answered their questions, just as the exorcist had when he was a student here, never mind how many years ago. Once children were convinced that there **were** yokai in the school, the more there actually were, as if drawn in by the mention. Or, actually, once someone said they saw one, other children would "see" them too, for the attention. Being present for the cleansing was a clear statement from the administration: nothing is here, nothing can be here, all is well.

It was easy to find the one boy that the principal had mentioned: his coloring stood out, and his classmates eagerly pointed him out while Hosyu was working. He was careful neither to support the boy or the other children. That never helped.

"This will stop them?" the boy whispered, eyes darting around, as if he could see the yokai who were watching the process just as intently as the children were.

"Of course," Hosyu said, matter-of-factly. The boy's face was even paler than his skin, eyes wide and breath stuttered. If this were just imagination, then Hosyu's work would take away any basis for belief, and it looked like the boy was coming to the same conclusion.

Later, as Hosyu was about to leave the room, he noticed that boy touch a charm with a tentative finger, not even noticing the rather large yokai staring at the same charm, with eyes the size of the boy's head and teeth as long as the boy's arms – yet relatively weak, as yokai went. There was a quick flash of light, as it got too close and was burned by the charm. Thankfully, the boy was the only one left in the room, and he ran out quickly. Hosyu felt a tinge of, not quite **shame** , at being glad that this boy was not popular with the other children, so that the story would not spread. Some questions he just didn't like answering.

When he went back to replace the charm, it was blackened and twisted – and looked for all the world that it had been burned from the **inside** out. Hosyu shrugged and slipped it into his pocket.

And once his work was done, Hosyu carefully drew symbols around his eyes – none of those **glasses** here, really – to inspect the school one last time. The wards held, the charms were all in place, another job well done. Until a flicker caught his attention.

Then he bit his lip, **hard** , as the boy, **that** boy, was bright enough it **hurt** , to see him with the Sight.

When Hosyu finally got home, he took the damaged charm out of his pocket. He placed it on top of the papers that the principal had eagerly given him, with just a single mention of the boy. Knowing of the boy's talent made the pattern in his other schools, city schools, all too clear.

Hosyu wasn't getting any younger, so he allowed himself to entertain the thought of taking the boy on as an apprentice, a successor. Then the headache **still** pounding behind his eyes reminded him otherwise. Hosyu knew when something was **that** far beyond him.

Another deep breath, almost a sigh, and Hosyu picked up the phone.

"I have an important message for Matoba-sama."

 

**Author's Note:**

> This came about from the question in the summary. We see people calling on exorcists for help and/or work, so why didn't anyone try this? [The answer is likely: because it doesn't fit the story, silly!] Any errors in supernatural practice are very likely, and are all mine.
> 
> I couldn't decide whether this would be positive (likely an OC exorcist) or negative (let's just say horror and leave it at that). Then while I was in the shower, the last line came to me. I'll leave it up to the reader to say what kind of ending this is.
> 
> According to my baby naming book, Hosyu means "consertativeness". And yes, he's an unreliable narrator (I blame you, Yuuri; you know why). He doesn't have both a first and last name because I'm lazy. And no, I have no idea where the "school at night = yokai motel" idea came from. Ask Hosyu.
> 
> The title is from the quotation: "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." I have heard this phrase all my life, but only when researching for this title, did I find out that it is the first line of the novel "The Go-Between" by L.P. (Leslie Poles) Hartley.
> 
> This story was written on and for Imbolc as an offering of creativity. You can see how long it took me to post it, because I'm both shy and nitpicky. I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
